DRC Journalist Accuses U.S. of Causing Current Presidential Upheaval with Its Long-Term Meddling

A Congolese journalist blames the current election crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo on the interventionist policies perpetrated by the United States.

On the Dec. 23 edition of RT America Live, activist and journalist Kambale Musavuli said the United States supported — and abetted — the rise of current DRC President Joseph Kabila. “We have a president that was imposed on the Congolese people mainly through U.S. foreign policy to have a leader that would provide Congolese resources,” Musavuli said.

The crisis that has sparked protests by young people stemmed from a DRC constitutional court ruling made in early 2016 that will allow Kabila to remain in office. The ruling states that he must relinquish power when the people elect a successor, African News reported.

Kabila was expected to leave office Dec. 19, but a new deal struck Dec. 23 will allow the incumbent to stay in office until the end of next year. Since protests broke out Dec. 20, the UN Joint Human Rights Office in the DRC reported that militarized police have killed 40 civilians, 107 people have been injured and at least 460 arrests have been made.

“President Kabila, who has caused this crisis in the DRC today, is a product of the United States,” Musavuli said. “The United States placed him there in some ways. [For example,] the support of him in 2001 during his ascendance to power as a rebel.”

Musavuli added that the U.S. was one of the first nations to recognize Kabila as the “legitimate” president in 2006 and 2011. He urged Americans to pay attention to this crisis, because U.S. taxpayers’ money has been — and is still being — utilized to fund militarize police and political strongmen in the African nation since the 1960s.